Fire Engine Air Horns

[True Grit]

Folks,
On a whim, I purchsed two Buell Air horns off an NYC Fire Truck on ebay. My garndad was an NYC fireman and I wanted something a bit different. Any downside to using these as opposed to the standard air horns - I have sufficient air pressure. Many thanks.

TG

 

[Backdraft]

I'm a Captain on a Fire Engine in Oklahoma City. I don't see a problem with using the horns for a marine application, but let me say, not all horns are created equal. We have some rigs that really have a good set of lungs, and others that aren't much better than a car horn. Good luck. I hope you have one of the good ones. I'm holding out for a freight train horn! --Backdraft

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Buell was standard equipment on Hatteras for many years. I have no idea if their marine horns are built any differently than others. Worst case is that the chrome doesn't hold up as well in a marine environment. Time will tell.

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Not that it matters, BUT... USCG specs require that vessel whistles be of a given frequency AND sound level. Living in Lemont, I frequently hear trains and barge whistles and can easily recognize the difference. Truck horns are the same thing...
Then theres fog horns and ATN (aids to navigation) signals. Just like a surveyor flunking you for the wrong color of wire on a DC circuit, have a crash in the fog with the wrong horn and you may be found at fault.
Grapes and raisins??? ws

http://www.kahlenberg.com/documents/k380.pdf

 

[Avenger]

A buddy of mine had one on his pickup. Let me tell you, you can cause a lot of mayhem with them on the road.

One of our favorite tricks was driving past a firehouse at O'dark thirty and blasting the horn. The neighbors would all call the local department and ream them for it.

I know this is not an answer to your question in any way, but it brought back a fun memory and I thought I'd share.

 

[Sonny]

The 80 footer I sometimes run has a single horn from a fire truck and it is incredibly loud. I can't imagine anyone mistaking you for a fire truck out on the water and the tone of the horn begs attention.

 

[Glory]

Sonny,

I can' imagine any mistake not being made on the water. For that mater it is a mistake most of the time when some "Skippers ", and I use that term losely, start the engines and cast off.


Never mind knowing the differance between a fog horn and a horny back toad.


JM

 

[boatwright]

hornblasters . com have some interesting horns, marine and train and sample sound bites

 

[Sonny]

It's really strange that this horn thread should come up. As I already said, one of the boats I run has a fire truck horn on it. I live a very short distance from the freighter docks and a tractor trailer driver has installed a train horn on his truck that he sounds it to thank the loader every time he picks up a container and the local ferry boat yard is nearby as well so I hear these distinctive tones on a regular basis but the train horn is way out of place because we have no trains here! My Hatt has an electric horn which sounds okay, but doesn't have the balls of a proper air horn, and a Hatt deserves a proper air horn. When budget allows, I'm gonna get a bendix engine mounted compressor to feed a pair of buells and some earplugs.

 

[Sonny]

it is a mistake most of the time when some "Skippers ", and I use that term losely, start the engines and cast off.


JM

I work for a boat trailering service as well as running my own tour boat company while living on my boat in a crowded mooring area so I am all too familiar with "skippers"! I wish some of these skippers would consult at least a book or a decent website before casting off, those two being bare minimum and then we would find less opportunities to use our horns.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I would actually use my horn more often if I thought that anyone understood what I was signaling. Most of them just think that a whistle to pass is a gesture similar to that made with your middle finger........and that is exactly the sign I receive in return.

 

[GJH]

As Bill points out, there are USCG rules around horns and their base frequency. I am almost certain, but not 100% positive the fire truck horn falls within the specs for a boat in our general size range. The specs are for boats 12- 20 meters ( 65 feet ), 20 meters to 75m, 75-200, 200. The bigger the boat, the lower the freq. Rule 86.05 Annex III in the Navigation Rules.

I will second the comments about people not knowing the whistle (horn) sounding rules. Nothing like coming up to a sail boat on the ICW not monitoring their radio, signaling your pass by horn and getting the evil eye and hand gesture for your courtesy. We have taken to using the loud hailer to instruct them on the protocols.

We were in a big boat log jam this fall, waiting for the Steel Bridge in VA to open on schedule. With a barge coming in to the asphalt plant right there, things got very tight; we were one of the smallest of thirteen boats. A mega yacht sounded three horns to signal they were moving astern and the bridge tender got all agitated on the radio "What you honking your horn at me, we opening in three minutes!" The captain very politely informed her what three whistles meant. The bridge went up immediately.

 

[REBrueckner]

As noted sound level and frequency is set by the USCG....but who is EVER going to know if yours are slightly outside the frequencies??? Besides, I have a marine electronic fog signal, signalling restricted visibility, or I am aground,etc and that sound is puny in fog and could barely be legal....

So I'd install your fire department horns, revel in their volume, but only if they are real blasters!!!! You'll know if they are super successful if the whole boat vibrates....and maybe cracks a few neaby windows!!!

 

[Brian Degulis]

Your Pressure should be fine trucks generaly run around 100- 135 PSI and that should be right where your boat is running. Try them out first before you commit to the instalation.

Brian

 

[Bob Bradley]

I work for a boat trailering service as well as running my own tour boat company while living on my boat in a crowded mooring area so I am all too familiar with "skippers"! I wish some of these skippers would consult at least a book or a decent website before casting off, those two being bare minimum and then we would find less opportunities to use our horns.

Actually, if they did follow the "rules" you might hear quite a bit more horn use. For starters, there's the one prolonged blast just before pulling out of the slip (or three short blasts if backing out). And of course, the obligatory two short blasts before overtaking a boat on her port side (or one if overtaking on her stbd side), followed by the mandatory response from the boat being overtaken, the two short blasts when two boats pass each other in opposite directions (port to port) while transiting a channel (or one if stbd to stbd)... and so on.